


In the Shadow of Normalcy

by Ahhuya



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, Gen, Near Death Experiences, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Secret Identity, spoilers for the atla comics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:34:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27672095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ahhuya/pseuds/Ahhuya
Summary: They call it the Darkest Month of the Fire Nation. Prince Lu Ten is ambushed during the siege and crushed to death. Prince Zuko is assassinated in his sleep. Lady Ursa, taken by grief, throws herself and the body of her son of a cliff. And at the end of the month, firelord Azulon dies overnight.On the island of Hira'a, Lee is trying to make the best of a simple existance with his mother, stepfather and sister. Something he almost succeeds at, until the Avatar returns.
Comments: 69
Kudos: 200





	1. The Darkest Month

**Author's Note:**

> I've been reading a lot of ATLA fics lately and I thought I'd try my own hand at them. Though the moment I started writing I felt it become much bigger than expected :')  
> Warning, this fic contains spoilers for the Avatar Comics, especially The Search.

They name it the darkest month of Fire Nation history. On the third day of the fifth month, prince Lu Ten, son of crown prince Iroh, dies in the siege of Ba Sing Se. He is ambushed by earth benders when leading forces to the second wall. His broken and battered body is delivered to Iroh’s tent. They burn him and bury the ashes in the nearest colony. Iroh refuses to return home and mourn with his family. Azulon lets him. They can always hold the proper rites when Iroh gets back. He will if the crown commands him to. The crown prince never responds to any letters the fire lord sends him though.

Ten year old prince Zuko is found dead in his bed five days later. He’s been burned in his bed overnight. The left side of his face is charred black, parts of clothes stick to his once unblemished skin. It wasn’t the fire that kill him however. Embedded in his chest is a knife, partially melted together with his skin. Death was instant and, hopefully, the attack went unnoticed in the boy’s sleep. The fire sages lay prince Zuko’s body in the fire temple to start the burial rites. They never get to it.

The next day, lady Ursa breaks into the temple, takes the body of her son and in grief throws herself and Zuko off a cliff. There are witnesses of the event, but no bodies are ever found. They are given a shared, empty grave on the edge of the royal cemetery. Prince Ozai and princess Azula are seen visiting once for a short time, but the grave is soon left abandoned and taken over by weeds.

The month ends with the death of firelord Azulon. He dies sudden in his sleep. Some suspect poison, but nothing can be found. Ozai states with sadness that this one month aged his father beyond control, and grief would be the sourest poison a man could feel. Ozai would know, having lost his wife and only son.

The most recent version of Azulon’s will wishes for Ozai to be his heir. Ozai takes the crown with a solemn, but content look. Once crown prince Iroh makes no protest. With how little they have heard of him since the siege of Ba Sing Se has ended, some wonder if he’s still alive. They only have the word of returning soldier to believe. The crowning of firelord Ozai marks the end of the darkest month.

More than a year later, Iroh returns home a different man. He’s started to go gray, the fire in his eyes has darkened. He doesn’t visit his brother first when he arrives to the palace, doesn’t congratulate him on his position on the throne and the new annexation of Earth Kingdom territory. He wouldn’t even if the firelord forced him to. Instead, Iroh crouches before the grave of his sister-in-law and his nephew. He’s the first to remove the growing weeds and uncover their names to the sun again. Lady Ursa and fprince Zuko, both too young to be gone. Iroh would lie if he said he didn’t look for either of them when he tried to find Lu Ten in the spirit world. But only one spirit knew the name of Ursa, but she couldn’t tell him where she was. ‘She is not here’, the spirit had told him before a wolf howled her name and she disappeared.

Ozai, now firelord Ozai, easily lets Iroh return to the court. When Iroh expresses his condolences for the tragedy of the family and excuses himself for his long absence, the firelord dismisses him. The death of his child, wife and father had been the will of Agni himself to grow a powerful leader. This was how the world was supposed to be, in the hands of Ozai’s greatness. Iroh doesn’t mention his own birthright, he hasn’t wanted the throne ever since Lu Ten died.

The palace seems empty without the soft footsteps of the young prince. But none of the servants seem to act like anything has happened. Even princess Azula, crown princess of her nation at the age of ten, does not seem to miss the presence of her mother or brother in the palace. 

“He had it coming.” Azula shrugs when Iroh asks her about Zuko when they’re feeding turtleducks together. “Everyone knew.”

Her eyes don’t meet his. She keeps staring at the turtleducklings and their mother as she slowly throws in breadcrumbs. They sit there in silence for the rest of the afternoon.

General Iroh stays in firelord Ozai’s court for three years. He watches his brother send young troups to their death, and listens in on new plans to take down the walls of Ba Sing Se. Ozai calculates his words when he looks at Iroh during the war meeting. He means for the words of his failure to hurt. He succeeds. Iroh takes it for three years before he officially retires. Within a few weeks, he leaves the firenation forever on a ship set east.

He sets foot in the town where he’s buried Lu Ten five years ago. The gravestone is no longer there, removed by freedom fighters. His ashes may have disappeared years ago, but Iroh still places a basket with fruit and two sticks of incense before the large tree. He talks to his son, sings to him and when the suns starts to set, he also focuses his attention to his nephew.

When the next day comes, the ship’s crew can’t find Iroh anywhere. A couple of weeks later, the avatar returns to the world.


	2. Lee of Hira'a

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how much I like the structure of this chapter, but as it's still a bit introductionary, I'm just giong with it~

Lee knew no different than the streets of Hira’a, the small town and the square with a wooden theater stage. His parents loved the stage and tried desperately to drag him into their favorite pastime as well. Noren and Noriko, lovebirds of the town, had grown from being the starring couple in ‘Love Among Dragons’ to being the producers of the annual play. But no longer having the starring role didn’t stop them from reciting the play in the kitchen weekly. Lee grew tired of it sometimes. It didn’t help that his younger sister, Kiyi, had taken a liking to theater as well. Lee wouldn’t admit it, but maybe deep down, he too loved the stage.

It was one of the finer things in life, to be the son of the local herbalist and a loving father, where nothing would be asked of him. He was Lee, a sixteen year old child who didn’t have to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. His mother was protective of him, but no one found it strange. After all, everyone on the island could see the burn that marred his face, the scars that lingered on his body. They assumed mother and child had been caught up in an accident near the colonies where Noriko lost her first husband. It was a fine lie to live with. Noren agreed with that.

Many who lived in Hira’a remembered the day Noriko came to the town. Her face was shrouded underneath a hood as she nursed a broken leg and a son at death’s door. She had lived in the town before, she told them. Long ago, before she had been forced to leave by her husband. A husband who could no longer care for her.

No one remembered her. It had been Noren who took her in and gave the woman and child the care they needed. And as the entire country fell into mourning for the royal family, Noren took Noriko and Lee to the valley besides the village. Noriko and Lee never left Hira’a without Noren after that.

Lee knew how much he owed his life to Noren. Surely, his mother had crushed the herbs that dulled the pain in his face and chest, but it had been Noren who changed his clothes when they were soaked with fever sweat and blood. And it had been Noren who made his mother happy. He was the new future a broken widow like Noriko needed, and soon after their marriage a daughter named Kiyi was born.

Kiyi, such a bright soul created out of pure love, was the best thing to happen to Lee. And as a good older brother, Lee walked Kiyi to school, played with her and her dolls, named Kiyi and Lee as good names shouldn’t be used just once, and helped his parents with the chores around the house. When the annual play came around and the entire island came together, Lee was there for them.

In return his family was there for him. Every time the country remembered the Darkest Month, Lee’s family took a vacation in order to keep them busy. It helped them think of something else, something that wasn’t shrouded in bad memories. It didn’t keep the nightmares away, but it made them bearable. It became part of a routine, and Lee and Noriko fell right into it. Life in Hira’a was calming and Lee felt at peace. Perhaps for the first time since he had been born.

That was until the news from the Earth Kingdom hit the town. The messenger boy had been in ecstasy. Crown princess Azula infiltrated the walls of the great Ba Sing Se and took it down from the inside. And as a secondary gift to her father, she had slain the Avatar, ensuring he would never rise again.

The town responded to the news by throwing a party in honor of the firelord and the princess. Lee did not wish to attend, but his father forced him. As a teen with a wish to be respected by his townspeople, he needed to show up at celebrations. So he did, with his hair tied in a uncomfortably tight topknot and an exhaustion in his bones he hadn’t felt for a long time. He set at the sides of the bonfire with his mother all night while Kiyi and Noren enjoyed the festivities.

In that moment Lee wished their vacation could have been just a moment longer, at least past the death of Azulon. But with the ongoing war, there was no luxury to extend the holiday that far. The two weeks surrounding the deaths of prince Lu Ten, prince Zuko and lady Ursa. It got easier with the years, especially with Kiyi around. For the young girl, the trips were nothing more than that. Holiday trips. She’d drag Lee with her to the beach to build sandcastles, or ask her parents to recite their favorite plays. They were happy to oblige. It helped get rid of the bad memories. For Kiyi, the war didn’t exist and if Noren could help it, she never would. Lee wondered if the same could apply for him, or if the firelord would suddenly bring out the order for conscription, forcing him to join the battlefields.

The order never came. The month ended with that celebration of the final victory being within hands reach. Lee wasn’t sure if he was happy, he guessed he was. Not for the firelord, but at least for his nation. His family was doing relatively well these days. His mother’s herbs were well requested in nearby towns and the annual theater productions were some of the best in the nation. Lee guessed that if anything, the future held a job as herbalist with some parttime acting. He did like the Water Spirit mask, and the character had no lines of text. Lee was sure he could perfect the art of being a menacing shadow, watching his younger sister one day master the role of Dragon Empress.

Lee was sure he could say happy. Life was as it should be. He didn’t want it to change, but no spirit ever listened to his wishes. He knew by now. It was supposed to be nothing more than a quick walk across the market to get dinner. He had taken Kiyi along to buy her some of her favorites fruits. It was something so simple. And yet he froze when he heard an once so familiar voice beside him. He had looked left for only a second. Even through his bad eye and with the years having past, it wasn’t hard to recognize the man asking a merchant for tea leaves. Lee wasn’t sure if their eyes ever met. He grabbed his vegetables, his sister and ran back home.

He couldn’t go back.


	3. The Dragon Empress Spits Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a chapter worked out, then woke up yesterday and decided it wouldn't work, threw it away and wrote this instead. I'm much happier with this and think I'm slowly figuring out where I want this plot to go. It's also a lovely distraction from paper writing :')

That night Lee dreamt of two dragons dancing around a golden throne engulfed in flames. Lee found himself sitting on that throne, unable to move anything but his eyes. On his right, a blue dragon circled down the golden columns of the hall. Its voice was hard, a voice so common in Lee’s nightmares. Every word it spoke was surrounded by a cloud of fire, but Lee could never flinch away. On his left, clearly visible despite Lee’s scarred eye, lay a red dragon on the ground. It’s voice was deep, but calming. It spoke of truths Lee didn’t want to hear. He knew the voice, despite it never coming to him in his dreams.

Slowly, the blue dragon’s face changed. Its white mane grew out into long black hair. It’s red eyes became golden, looking down at the throne. The red dragon reacted to the other dragon’s movements, raising its head and roaring in warning. The red dragon wasn’t fast enough. The blue one was already breathing fire, burning Lee’s face, chest and arms in one go.

He woke up screaming.

…

“Bad dreams?” Noren asked Lee in the morning as he served him a bowl of breakfast noodles. Lee knew the dark circles under his eyes were more than obvious.

“It was just a nightmare.” Lee shrugged. His mother, sitting beside him, took his arm in a comforting hold. He looked at her and forced a small smile on his face. “I can’t remember it, but I’m probably worrying about nothing. Nerves about the play, I think there’s more people in town than usual.” Nightmares happened much too often anyways.

“Indeed, with how the war is going, I did not expect to see this many people in town for the play.” Noriko agreed.

“I’m sure they’re here to see your skills with the special effects for today’s show.” Noren grinned as he slung an arm around Lee’s shoulders. “Slowly we’re beating those Ember Island players in production.”

“That’s not too hard.” Lee huffed, “they’re terrible after all.”

Noren laughed. So did Noriko, despite not remembering a single play by the Ember Island players herself. Since the first year Lee had joined Noren in the theater club, the jokes about the Ember Island players became abundant. So much that half the club joked about the famous troupe without having ever seen any of their scenes in person. Lee was sure that if one of the scripts of their original plays came out, the Hira’a troupe would perform it out of pure spite.

They discussed the day’s play over breakfast. It had been in preparation for months, and this year’s lead actors were unexperienced but talented. It would all depend on their final reaction to the big crowd how the show would go. But if it would go bad, they could redeem themselves with the winter play of Agni’s Underworld. Noren was hopeful for the production however. It could never be as bad as four years ago, just after Kiyi had been born. Both lead actors forgot their lines and one part of the stage fell down and nearly broke the Water Spirit’s foot.

As they talked Kiyi took out her dolls and slowly dragged Lee out of the conversation. At least until he and Noren would need to leave for the stage, the young girl knew she could steal her brother. There was no preparation for special effects to do at home. Everything was stored at the clubhouse.

When breakfast was done however, and his sister let go of him, both Noren and Lee set out for the stage to set everything in place. Showdays were always the most hectic ones. Noren would be gone all day, and so would Lee most times, although this would happen on other days as well. Sometimes they would only eat dinner late in the evening when the sun had already set because of the late rehearsals. There was no stopping the actors when they got in the zone. Lee hated those days, especially when there was no part to act in for him.

Lee was not a man meant for a hectic life. The constant walking around, reciting of scripts and final changes to the effects. The moment a single rock from the decor went missing, Lee remembered why he disliked theater so much. Still, he knew he would be in this exact same spot in a couple of months again, being talked into joining by Noren like he always would.

As the final preparations on the set were being finished, Lee felt a tugging at his pants. Kiyi stood next to him, doll Kiyi in hands and eager eyes looked up to him. Lee smiled and picked the girl up, settling her on his arm.

“You know you should be with mom, right? She’ll worry if you walk away.” He told her with a smile.

“But I’m with you, brother. Can I be a great firebender like you too?” Her big yellow eyes looked up to him. She hadn’t formed a spark yet, but it had taken Lee past his toddler years to set his first leaf on fire. Kiyi definitely had the determination to become a great master.

With his free hand, Lee ruffled his sister’s hair. “I thought you wanted to become the Dragon Empress one day? You don’t need to a firebender to be the Empress. She doesn’t breathe fire anyways.”

Kiyi grinned. “When I play her, she would. That way she doesn’t have to fear the dark water spirit and she’ll be able to protect her husband in his final battle.”

“I think you should tell Noren about those choices before you get the role.” Lee laughed.

Kiyi nodded and rested her head on her brother’s shoulder. “When I get the role of Empress, I want you to be Emperor.”

“I’m not kissing my little sister on stage. I think I’ll be fine doing special effects or being the Water Spirit.” Still, Lee knew Kiyi would suggest the same thing a within a few days when the enthusiasm of the play coursed through her and she’d once again be dreaming of her future acting role. In her eyes, there was no other emperor than Lee. If they were lucky, there wouldn’t be one for a long time. Lee didn’t want to see her run off with a guy just yet.

“Come let’s find mom.” Lee said as he carried Kiyi away from the stage. Noriko was out on the square, talking with other women as they gathered to watch the play. She must have seen Kiyi walk to the stage before, as she did not seem surprised when Lee brought her back.

“Kiyi wanted to wish us good luck.” Lee said and handed the girl over to their mother.

“I told her you could use some extra encouragement. You seemed so nervous this morning.” Noriko placed a kiss on his cheek. “Just know we’ll be cheering you and your father on. Go make the best effects we could wish for.”

Lee nodded and walked back to the stage, where Noren was giving the final notes to his actors. His mother and sister would be in the audience. So would everyone from Hira’a, as well as those from surrounding villages that could afford to leave their homes for a day. He settled beside Noren in the backstage area, listening to his final instructions to the crew. As a crowd had formed before the stage, and everyone had collected their masks, Noren stepped on the stage to announce the play. Lee settled in his corner beside the stairs and prepares his metal sheets and smoke. It wouldn’t be much more than an hour.

Lee could take one hour in the shadows before he would go home again. He desperately missed playing with Kiyi. But he’d take theater over everything else life could give him. Acting was an useful skill after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As this project has been haunting me all day, I also doodled a quick Lee/Zuko and Kiyi on my [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/CIQ6dpvhen-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link%E2%80%9D%20rel=) of course you're also more than welcome to chat with me there!  
> Until next time~


	4. A Dragon's Theater

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a chapter ready, but when I tried to explain it to my partner (who has not read The Search yet and also doesn't understand fanfic) they told me I wanted too much in just 1400 words. I guess they were right, so I used today to add more to the first part~ A much anticipated character makes his official introduction to the story.

he play went better than Lee could’ve hoped for. Each time he ran on the stage in his black clothes to change the background scenery, he could feel the tension in the crowd from the other side of the curtain. Many of them had seen the play once for each year they’d been alive. Yet he could still hear the surprised gasps coming from the spectators when the Dragon Emperor became Noren, a mortal human with a wish to restore his honor and return home. As well as during the final battle between Noren and Water Spirit in a struggle to gain the dragon’s power.

The actors knew their text well, and it helped that the two main roles had developed an actual crush on each other during the months of rehearsals. The final confession and kiss almost felt real. If the masks hadn’t been there, Lee was certain he’d be gagging in his corner from the sloppy kiss the two actors would share.

Still, he was glad when the play was over and he could feel the crowd disperse on the town square. Noren was happy with the result, giving Lee a strong pat on his back before the full acting troupe banded together in their backstage area. They joked about their performance. The Dark Water Spirit, an ex-soldier who had been discharged from service after his left leg had been crushed almost beyond repaired underneath a boulder in the siege of Ba Sing Se, jokingly accused Lee of moving his fake rocks too far to the foreground. The spirit had been almost invisible at certain parts. Lee retorted that that way, the spirit acted more as it should. A menacing shadow always following the mortal Noren around, even if the Dragon couldn’t see it.

As the show was a success, Noren suggested the troupe take the afternoon and evening off. They could clean up the stage the next day. No one would want to take a number of wooden rocks or forgotten masks with them. The theater was too respected for that.

Lee preferred the later cleanup. His arms were already burning from the play and he preferred to rest them for the evening. Theater seemed worse than the firebending training he’d had as a child in that aspect. He never thought he’d prefer his lessons over moving backgrounds in a theater production. No, he corrected himself, the pain from theater was much better than the corrective hitting from his tutors. At least this time if he messed up, Noren would tell him to work harder for the next performances. And every time he would be better. He couldn’t say the same about his bending.

When they left the backstage area, most of the crowd had already split up into smaller groups. The elders tended to stick closer to the stage, reminiscing earlier version of the plays. The adults would gather at the bar on the other side of the square, ending the show with the flow of alcohol. It was never too early for a drink on these days.

It wasn’t hard to find Noriko and Kiyi in the square. They’d always be in the front row to watch, and stayed their until the rest of the family joined up with them. Noriko waited in exactly the same spot as always, with Kiyi in her arms.

“You both did amazing.” Noriko said when the two men joined her before the stage. She gave her husband a quick kiss and placed a hand on Lee’s head with a smile. He’d grown too much in the past few years to have her pat his head easy now.

Normally, Lee would’ve disagreed with her when she said he did well., but he didn’t this day. He had to agree with her. The show went well. He could be proud of it. Noren was happy too. He kissed his wife, only seconds after she’d kissed him. He took his daughter from her arms and held her close. He looked at Lee like he was proud. They did well.

A number of villagers walked past them to congratulate Noren on a play well done. As the familiar faces passed, Lee focused in on the ones he didn’t know. On the side of the stage, Lee noticed a group of people he hadn’t seen the year before. Travelers, he reminded himself. Noren had mentioned the flow of new people in town.

From the group, he saw a man approaching them. He was of small but broad posture. His gray hair was getting bald at the top, only his topknot sticking out from above it. Most noticeable was the old military uniform. A soldier who had been on the field for too long, no doubt. Many people became soldiers these days, especially under Azulon’s reign.

The man seemed more and more familiar to Lee as he came closer, and the moment he asked Noren if he’d directed the play, Lee knew it was the same man as he’d seen at the market the day before. Lee took a step back, trying to hide himself from the man’s view. He didn’t like the feeling surrounding the man. Too menacing under a seeming layer of friendliness. No soldier was just friendly, especially not this one.

The other people who had been in the soldier’s company walked a different way. They were children, Lee noticed. With the way they yelled at their elder, they were disrespectful children. They should have parents to teach them discipline, but he saw no one but the awfully familiar soldier.

“I’m going back home.” Lee mumbled to Noren and motioned to him to hand over Kiyi to him. Although his arms were tired, he loved carrying his sister in his arms. “Will you be back for tea?” He asked Noren, and the man nodded in response.

Noriko joined Lee in his way home. Noren would catch up later, when the soldier was done asking questions about theater. Lee knew that once Noren go to talking about his biggest passion, he wouldn’t stop for hours.

Lee should have expected that the passionate talking would not to die out in just an hour. Noren could talk a full week without rest if it’d mean he could share his love about the stage. Lee was sitting with his mother at the table when Noren returned home. Behind him, a second pair of footsteps entered the house.

“This is Mushi.” Noren introduced the man, the soldier from the town square.

“Thank you for the invitation for tea.” The man, Mushi, bowed slightly in greeting, “I would never refuse a cup of tea and a talk about theater.”

“Of course.” Noriko smiled. “We are always happy to have guests. Especially those who love old arts as much as we do.”

Lee however was not happy with guests. Especially not guests who kept creeping into Lee’s life from within his dreams. He glared at the man and wished for the afternoon to be over quickly. Perhaps he should’ve opted to clean the stage after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your comments and kudos! They're much appreciated <3  
> Until next time (which might be a bit delayed with upcoming exams/paper deadlines)


	5. Of Bitter Tea and Hospitality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped that during my break I'd be able to write more. Instead, I just edited this one chapter... though I should be able to write more once I'm on my (sort-of) Christmas break. So have this one instead before I dive back into paper writing hell <3

Lee glared at Noren’s friend from beside his mother. He hadn’t moved since Noren had introduced Mushi. If it were up to Lee, they wouldn’t have had this evening. He was fine with the members of the theater club, or Kiyi’s playtime friends. But strangers were something else. The would ask questions, and Lee never felt like answering them.

“Lee, don’t be rude. Make our friend some tea.” Noren said, looking in Lee’s direction.

Lee nodded silently in Mushi’s direction as a short greeting before he stood up and offered the man his spot at the table. He was glad to be sent away from the table to make tea. At least from the back area, he could watch their guest without too much suspicion.

Noren guided Mushi to the table and sat down with him. At the same time, Lee took a kettle with water and set it above the firepit. A small movement of his hand and the twigs underneath the kettle grew ablaze. Lee tried to even out his breathing with the movement of the flames, drowning out the conversation at the table. It didn’t work.

“My apologies, Mushi. Our son can be quite the stubborn teenager.” Noriko smiled. “Are you from around here?”

“Oh I know how teenagers can be. My son would give me a lot of trouble as well.” Mushi laughed softly, though mentioning his son came strained. “I came to town a few days ago with my companions to restock, but when I saw there was a play we decided to stay a bit longer.”

“Do you enjoy theater?” Noriko asked, her interest growing.

“My sister-in-law was a great fan.” The man smiles. “Watching it brought back a lot of memories. Though I must say I enjoyed your performance more than I did those on Ember Island.”

“Can I ask what happened to her?” Noren asked. Judging by the silence that followed, death still haunted Mushi closely. The man let out a sigh before he answered.

“Her son was caught in an accident five years ago. She died that same week.” Mushi said, “My nephew would have been your son’s age now.”

“It must have been awful.” Noriko said, and Lee could hear her voice fill with dread. Her gaze darted to Lee for a moment. Lee himself was frozen in place, not noticing how the flames in front of him almost died out.

Lee was glad the kettle took that moment to let the water boil and dragged his thoughts to the present. He took it from the fire and poured the boiling water over the tea leaves in their teapot. With a tray with cups and the teapot, he turned to his family.

He didn’t look Mushi in the eyes, but did well to take him in fully in the time it took to set the cups down. The man was indeed the same as the one on the marketplace. His beard was shaggy, but still showed traces of being well kept no more than a month ago. He looked kind, but looks were deceiving, especially within the Firenation. No doubt the man had seen war in his younger days. Anyone his age had. Azulon had started the drafting notices quite early in his rule after all, no doubt Ozai would ensure to lower the drafting age again if he found it necessary.

Lee poured cups for his family and their guest, after which he took a cup himself and moved back to the corner of the room, sitting in the doorway overlooking the back of the house. He could still see Mushi from the corner of his eyes. He sighed, and took a sip from his tea.

The old man’s face became a grimace with his first sip. Noren and Noriko drank the hot drink without showing one change in their expressions. Lee knew his tea wasn’t the best, but it was drinkable. Their visitors never complained about it before. But if Mushi hated his tea so much, then perhaps he would leave early. Or perhaps the sun could set sooner so the man would leave and the family could have their normal dinner together.

But Mushi stayed, and worse, he was so interested in their family. Lee was glad he didn’t start asking about how long Noren and Noriko been married yet. Mushi was not a family friend who could ask whatever.

Lee didn’t like Mushi’s presence, in contrast to Kiyi who, when she noticed they had guests, had latched onto the stranger. Mushi in turn loved children. He admired her dolls, joked how her handiwork on cutting its hair reminded it of when his niece was younger.

Lee was fine watching them, but he knew the second Kiyi waked over to him with her bright smile that it would be hard to avoid conversation any longer. She tugged at his arm just as Lee poured himself a new cup of tea.

“Come join us, Lee.” His sister smiled at him. “Mister Mushi is really nice.”

“Young man,” Mushi said as he looked in Lee’s direction, “would you not mind to entertain an old man? Your father told me about the work you did for the play. It sure caught my eye while watching.”

“It’s just effects.” Lee muttered. “I’m not actually on stage.”

“The production of the play is just as important as its actors. It might be what got the Ember Island Players so big.”

“You’ve seen the Ember Island Players?” Lee frowned, moving closer to the table.

“A number of times before I had to do my share in the war.” The man said.

“Then are they truly as bad as the stories say?”

Mushi hummed softly in acknowledgement. “Your production was much more pleasing to an old man’s eyes.”

“One day, I’m going to be Dragon Empress, and Lee will be Emperor.” Kiyi chimed in from beside them .

“I’m more aiming for the Dark Water Spirit.” Lee smiled softly, before turning his mind back to the moment at hand. “But for now, I’m happy doing effects. I like it.”

He took another sip from his tea, offered Mushi some more but saw the man actively decline. It’d be against the rules of hospitality to refuse a second cup, but Lee guessed an old man was above the rules of hospitality when he invited himself over.

Just like Kiyi said though, Lee had to admit that Mushi wasn’t the worst person to share a cup of tea with. Although he’d throw around random proverbs in his talking, Lee found himself often being calmed by the sound of the man’s voice. He knew it’d calmed him before during lonely nights with terrifying dreams. Before everything else happened. Perhaps it was exactly that that made Lee feel so much uneasiness at the same time.

“I see I’ve been taking too much of your time already. I should probably go back to town again.” Mushi said when the sun started to set and Lee’s stomach started to rumble. He stood up from the table and bowed slightly before walking to the door.

“Are you leaving already?” Kiyi asked as she clung to Mushi’s robes.

The man crouched down and ruffled her hair. “My friends will worry if I’m gone for too long. Perhaps we’ll stay in town a bit longer. I’m sure my companions would love to meet you, Kiyi. And you, Lee.” He looked up, looking Lee right in his eyes. “They’ll be happy to meet someone their age here.”

“No tha-“ Lee started, before Noriko cut him off.

“He’d love to. Lee’s quite lonely sometimes.” She took Lee’s hand and held it reassuringly. But Lee only felt ice coursing through his veins. Mushi’s soft expression only made it worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iroh and the family have officially met! Next up, Iroh's lovely travel friends
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated, or come talk to me on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/spararts).


	6. Conversations over hot spice noodles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will say this chapter went 5 different directions as I wrote it, but I think I'm good with the way it went.  
> I did a pretty quick proofreading, so let me know if I missed anything :')

Part of Lee hoped that Mushi was old enough to forget what Noriko had say that evening. The second part of him hoped that he could stay inside all day and wish for Mushi and his friends to move to a different town before Lee could be bothered. Sadly, Noriko had a good memory. At least of anything that happened in the past five years.

So, when Lee had finished his breakfast, Noriko had him leave go out in order to clean up the town’s theater stage. Noren didn’t follow him, knowing that Lee wouldn’t need the help and wasn’t meant to actually clean up place. Mushi’s friends would find him soon enough. And as expected, Lee couldn’t move more than two sets to the clubhouse before he was interrupted.

A group of four teenagers approached the stage, waving at Lee and calling out to him. He recognized them as the strangers he’d seen with Mushi the day before. In front of the group walked a boy in a school uniform. The uniform’s red sash was bound across his forehead. It would be enough to get kicked out of school for. Maybe he had been, Lee was sure the school year hadn’t ended yet, but Hira’a owned no public school.

The second boy had a darker skin tone, matching that of the girl walking beside him. His hair was bound back in a topknot. On his back he carried a sheathed sword. The girl was most definitely his sister, having the same skin, hair and bright blue eyes. Her look was completely different though, donning the brighter red colors and more revealing clothes people wore on the northern islands.

Last was a younger girl, who wore the same fashion as the older girl. Her skin was almost as light as that of Firenation royalty, but her black hair was shaggy as her bangs covered her eyes. Lee wondered if she was related to headband in any way.

They were definitely a strange mix of society levels, a big contrast with how Mushi had been. They were definitely not from the island.

“Mushi said we might find you here.” The boy with the headband said. “Hi I’m Kuzon, and these are Sokka, Katara and Toph.” He pointed at the three kids besides him. “We’re travelling with Mushi from the colonies. He said we could hang out with you today.”

Lee ignored how Sokka muttered about how it ruined his schedule and his sister elbowed him in the ribs in response.

“We saw your play yesterday. It was pretty cool, I didn’t know they did theater here.” Kuzon continued.

“Didn’t they teach you the classics in school?” Lee frowned. The kid would be around twelve years old now, he guessed. Most children around that age would know of Love Among The Dragons by then. Lee had been introduced to it when he was still a toddler and most kids around Kiyi’s age knew the play well. Though Lee guessed anyone living in Hira’a wasn’t the on the same level as those on the bigger islands.

The boy frowned, then shook his head. “They don’t even allow you to dance there. I just thought theater would be similar.”

“Dance is a personal expression. Theater is the words of the ancients, brought to a wider public. They’re very different.” Lee said, and he wasn’t sure if it’s really him who said it. Whenever he would look at Noren and Noriko around the stage, he knew that there’s a personal expression in their plays.

“And theater is just very important here.” Lee shrugged. Colonials wouldn’t understand it. _Even though you’re a colonial yourself_ Lee reminded himself.

Giving up on cleaning up for now, Lee invited the teens for lunch. They settled at one of the tables of the central food stand, Lee and Sokka on one side, Kuzon, Katara and Toph on the other. Lee ordered them all a bowl of spicy fire noodles. Meatless ones, as per Kuzon’s request.

When they started eating it however, the colonial kids looked like their faces had just been set on fire. Lee watched them closely. Surely the colonies wouldn’t go as far as to ruin a simple dish. The spices were available anywhere in the world. Except for maybe the poles, but no respectable Firenation citizen would settle there.

“So how did you guys meet Mushi? Did you join his troops or something?” Lee asked, looking at Sokka. The kid was the only one who seemed old enough to join the army.

The boy, face still red from eating the noodles, grew two shades redder and quickly shook his head. “Oh no, I’m no Firenation soldier.”

“You don’t carry around a sword unless you’re in the army. And you’re traveling with someone who seems to be a high ranked soldier.” Lee said.

“My master gave it to me.” Sokka said as he patted the sword bound to his back. “I’m not leaving a good sword behind. Especially not one I made myself.”

Lee huffed. “We should spar someday. I’m sure I could take you on.” Even if he hadn’t touched a sword in almost seven years, the touch of the blade was one a man didn’t forget easily. His skills would be rusty, but it would always be better than his firebending.

“Why not now? I’d beat you for sure.” The boy gloated.

“I’m not sure if you noticed, but I don’t carry a sword around me. I doubt we have one at home.”

“If we could get you a sword, would you join me for a spar?” Sokka asked.

Lee shrugged. “I probably shouldn’t. I don’t want to get in any trouble.” He had heard the stories of soldiers in the Earth Kingdom, where the Earth King drafted anyone able to hold a knife. It didn’t matter if they only recently turned twelve years old. If anyone wanted to start similar actions in the Firenation they would start with the kids carrying weapons. It would rather be Sokka than Lee being drafted at that moment.

“We mostly travel with Mushi because he’s teaching Kuzon firebending.” Katara supplied. “And since Kuzon’s a part of our family, me and my brother felt like we had to come along. So here we are.”

Kuzon grinned at the mention of fierbending and summoned a flame to his hand. It was a weak fire, sputtering to stay alive in his palm. Within seconds, it had died out. Maybe for the better, it didn’t seem like the kid had much control over his fire yet.

Lee didn’t know what overtook him when he summoned a flame into his own hands. Maybe just to see if his own inner fire was as weak and wild as Kuzon’s. It flickered weakly, but it stayed alive without growing too hot. It wasn’t much, but it was better.

“Oh you’re a firebender too!” Kuzon smiled, leaning over the table to watch Lee’s flame. “You know, if you want to we could train firebending together this afternoon. I could ask Mushi if he wants to.”

Lee considered for a moment. He didn’t trust Mushi much, but if something went wrong, he could at least practice the basics again. And training bending was safer than taking up a sword. No one would stop a kid from enhancing his bending. “Sure. We could train at my house.” He said after a second of thinking. His mother would be happy if he brought someone over.

Kuzon beamed up at that. For a moment Lee was afraid he’d jump into the sky of happiness. Lee smiled, before he turned to Toph. She was the only person he didn’t have a full grasp on, unless she was also one of Mushi’s strange students.

“What about you?” Lee asked her.

The girl seemed to ignore him until Katara put a hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“He’s asking you.” She whispered.

When Toph looked up, Lee understood why she’d done so. The girl was blind, her eyes milky white and unfocused.

“I’m just here to make sure these guys don’t do anything stupid without me.” She shrugged.

“But you’re blind.” Lee retorted

“Got a problem with that?” Toph asked, quick and powerful. Lee felt a shiver down his spine. She was for sure the strangest of the bunch.

Lee shook his head, before realizing how stupid that was. “No,” he said instead, “I’m actually partially blind myself on my left side. Deaf too.”

He didn’t like the looks of pity he got from kids, all except Toph who looked as indifferent as she’d been all day.

“Can I ask how it happened?” Katara asked.

Lee shrugged. He’d told the story so many times before, it didn’t hurt. Lies spent on strangers never hurt. “My mom and I were chased out of Yu Dao six years ago by people who didn’t agree with my father’s ideas for the city. They burned my face and body, nearly killing me. We fled here to be safe. Noren says I’m lucky to be alive, the loss of sight and hearing are something I should be thankful for.”

“I’m so sorry.” Katara said, her voice growing soft with more pity.

“It’s fine.” Lee huffed, “Life is much better here than there.”

He drifted off in his thoughts, of a house far away from Hira’a and the flames that surrounded it. He looked at the stage again. “I should probably clean up the stage before we meet up again. If you can get Mushi that come, meet me at my house in two hours? He knows where it is.”

“I forgot to ask,” Lee added, “where in the colonies did you guys come from again? Though let me guess... With your appearances… the area of Xin Lao?”

All four kids frowned for a moment. Then, Sokka nodded. “Yeah we’re from Xin Lao.” He said, rushed. “We’ve lived there our entire lives. Well, until a couple months ago as you can see. Maybe you should visit one day, should the Earth Kingdom ever call you again.”

“I don’t think we can afford a vacation to the colonies, but once I get drafted, I might see if there’s a visiting regulation.” He laughed softly at the last part, though he could see the other teens didn’t appreciate the humor. It almost immediately caused their conversation to die out.

Kuzon and his friends took that moment to take their leave there to get Mushi for their training session. Lee turned back to the stage, where still a number of pieces were waiting to be moved inside the clubhouse storage.

Though as he moved the last piece into the storage, he felt a pit form in his stomach. Something about those kids was terribly wrong. He sprinted home, ignoring Noriko’s question as to how his day had been. Instead, he ran to the bedroom he shared with Kiyi and pulled out an old and weathered chest. It held a number of old memories. A golden hairpiece in the form of a flame, a dagger from Ba Sing Se with an inscription engraved into it, a turtleduck shell and a number of old documents. He dug through the items until he found the one he’d been looking for. A special edition newspaper from the Darkest Month. The front page talked about the death of prince Ozai’s oldest son, but what Lee had been looking for was an short article on the back of the paper.

_‘In the fallout of retreat of our forces from Ba Sing Se, Earth Kingdom rebels have overtaken the Xin Lao colonies. There are no survivors in the city and the surrounding areas.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lee: I made friends!  
> Lee two seconds later: Oh no...
> 
> Anyways, next time we get some firebending training


	7. A Mother's Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry (second) Christmas day! Today's chapter is a bit shorter but I suddenly felt a need for some Lee/Noriko interaction. I realized I pushed her aside a bit too much for how important she is

Lee shoved the documents back into the chest and hid it under his dresser again. He kept the knife out, stashing it in his belt instead. He didn’t know why. A knife couldn’t work against whatever sword spar Sokka wanted to try out. He just felt more sure in his own actions if he kept a piece of his past on him.

The news of Xin Lao didn’t have to mean anything. Perhaps colonials were more persistent than people on the main islands thought. People could have survived the massacre, rebuilt the city and carried on with their lives. Kuzon and the others were still kids, perhaps they had lost parents in the battle. Perhaps they still stuck to what they knew. Lee shouldn’t be the one to blame them for that.

It didn’t clear out his suspicion. That wouldn’t die out until Mushi and the kids were far away from the island. Still, it suppressed some of his uneasiness.

Lee stepped out of his room again, more collected this time. Noriko still sat at the table in the living room. On top of the table stood a teapot, as well as a steaming cup. She turned around to him and motioned him to sit down next to her.

“How was town?” She asked, as if she hadn’t asked the same thing before. She was good at hiding the fact that not long ago he’d stormed into the house in a blind panic.

“It was nice.” He muttered. “Mushi and his friends are coming over later. Firebending training.” He grabbed a cup and sat down with his mother. She made the best tea out of anyone living in their house. It always had a soft aftertaste and smelled of cherry blossoms. It reminded him of the gardens they used to feed turtleducks in. Lee guessed some of those old memories were hard to get rid of.

“I’m glad you’re making friends.” Noriko smiled. “I haven’t seen you train your bending with someone for so long.”

“They’re not friends. They’re just some weird colonial kids.” Lee shrugged and took another sip of this tea. “But apparently Mushi is a good teacher.”

Noriko hummed softly in agreement. “Still, you never talk to any of the kids in this town. And Kiyi’s friends don’t count.” She laid her hand on Lee’s and smiled at him. She didn’t need to tell him the toddlers of Hira’a were not his friends. Those kids mostly stayed around because they found his scars interesting. Anyone older than Kiyi’s friends found the red and raw looking pieces of skin too terrifying to stay close.

“I know it’s been hard to adapt to this. It’s nothing like Yu Dao, but it’s not that bad. We can start over here. You, me, Noren and Kiyi.” Noriko continued.

Lee forced himself to smile back at her. “I know, and I’d do anything to keep you guys safe.”

“My dear son.” With her free hand, she brushed some stray hairs out of Lee’s face. “so caring for his family. Your father would be proud.”

Lee froze at that. Noriko had never mentioned his father since the moment they’d arrived on the island. If she ever did to Noren, it wouldn’t be with the same love and compassion as her voice currently carried. “He wouldn’t be.” Lee shook his head. ”His opinion doesn’t matter much now anyways. He isn’t here anymore.”

Noriko sighed, and Lee wondered if she still had some fake feelings left for a man who didn’t exist. Though Lee guessed that was better than whatever she could have remembered. At least her fake husband was dead on the other side of the ocean.

“And you’re happy with Noren.” Lee said. “He’s good for you, so I’m happy for you. I wouldn’t know what I’d do without Kiyi either.” Though he could make a number of guesses, none of them ending well.

“I’m a lucky mother to have both of you as my children.” Noriko said, and poured herself and Lee another cup of tea. “We never talked like this before.” She said after a moment of silence. “But just know we’re here for you whenever you worry about something.” She leaned forward and placed a kiss on the top of his forehead, like she always used to do when he was younger and he’d recently been thrown into the garden’s fountain. His mother was always there when he walked back into the palace as servants fussed around him that the wet clothes could make him sick. She kissed his head this same way she did when he cried about how no one seemed to love him.

“I love you, Lee.” Noriko said when she pulled back again. Their hands were still holding each other.

“I love you too, mom.” Lee replied. He sighed and looked out over the back area. The doors were open, looking out over the grass and the distant woods.

“Where are Kiyi and Noren?” He frowned. Now that he thought of it, he hadn’t seen either of them since coming home. Usually his sister would have buried herself in his arms by now. They couldn’t have a simple conversation without her ever asking for attention. He loved Kiyi, but he missed these types of moments, where it was just him and his mother. It was the closest they got to being normal again.

“One of Kiyi’s friends said they wanted to play. Noren went with her.” Noriko said, taking another sip of tea. “Sometimes that child is too adventurous for her own good.”

Lee laughed softly. It was how Kiyi could grow up this way. Without worry about what was going on. In Kiyi’s world, nothing could happen that would hurt her. Not while her family was around.

“They’ll be back later today. You should have fun with your friends.” His mother told him.

Lee wanted to say they weren’t friends, but just for his mother’s sake, Lee stayed quiet and drank his tea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated!  
> Also, thanks for 100+ kudos


	8. Fire Watch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year everyone! I'm glad to finally be able to write an update after finishing up my first paper of the month. I missed writing fic instead.  
> Also, every time I come up with a chapter plot and then write another chapter in between, but the Gaang deserved to have a bit of a chat together -_- I swear we're getting closer to that climax :) (eventually)

As if the spirits wished for it, a knock sounded on the door when the teapot and the cups were empty. When Lee opened the door Mushi and Aang stood on the other side with Toph, Katara and Sokka behind them. Noriko followed behind Lee, looking over his shoulder as she took in the group of teenagers.

“You must be Lee’s new friends.” Noriko said, “Let me make some tea.”

“Thank you, but that’s okay.” Katara said quickly. “We’ll just be watching Kuzon train. We don’t want to intrude on your hospitality.”

“Nonsense,” Noriko waved Katara’s statement away, “No one would ever be intruding, I like having guests over, we don’t get many visitors in town. But I understand if you kids just want to be together without having me around. I’ll be here if you need me.” She then turned to Lee who had already stepped outside the door. “Be careful and keep an eye out for your sister, make sure she doesn’t run into your flames.” Noriko said, placing a kiss on Lee’s forehead before she let him go with the others.

“I will, mom.” Lee muttered, feeling a blush grow across his cheeks. He knew Noriko would linger in the door until they’d move. If anything, she would probably sit outside in a moment to watch them train as she drank another cup of tea. So instead, he turned away from her and faced Mushi instead.

“I was surprised when Kuzon told me you wanted to join our training.” Mushi said when Lee stepped into their middle. Lee frowned for a moment but Mushi laughed instead. “I’m glad you decided to do so however. It’s always good to have someone else join in for a training. Especially a talented young man like you.”

“I’m not a good firebender.” Lee looked at the old man. Talented was an even worse way of putting his skill level. He hadn’t practiced a kata in years.

“Neither was Kuzon when I started training him.” Mushi smiled, and Kuzon jumped in the conversation the moment he heard his name.

“I was terrified on producing a flame again, but Mushi showed me how to embrace the fire instead.”

“Again?” Lee raised his eyebrow at the young boy.

“I burned Katara once,” Kuzon explained, his eyes filling with sadness as he spoke, “I told myself I would never firebend again.”

“Aah,” Lee muttered, “I know how that feels.” His hand wandered to the burns lingering his arms, and he found himself closing his eyes for a second. He hadn’t been able to produce a single flame when he’d come to Hira’a. Even if he’d been asleep when the flames had started to eat at his bedsheets that particular night, something inside him froze the moment a flame came close. It didn’t matter if those flames were his own. It took all his strength not to flinch at the fire anymore.

Lee wondered that if he’d grown up in a firebending family he’d have been able to relearn his bending sooner. He would have been able to do more then than form a single flame in his hand and control it. If Mushi was as good as Kuzon made him be, perhaps he could go back to how he’d once been, or at least start getting there on his own.

“We can use the field to train. No one comes here anyways and there’s only grass to burn.” Lee said and pointed them towards the grass across their house. It was close. Should anything go wrong Noriko would be there to do the minimal damage control she was capable of. It also allowed Lee to see when Noren would be home. It was easier to firebend in a known environment, with everything he knew close by.

“Your sister is not home?” Mushi asked when they walked to the field. Lee guessed the man would notice the girl’s absence with how much she’d gotten to like Mushi.

Lee shook his head. “She and Noren are out. Which means we don’t have to worry about her bothering us.”

“Is your sister a bender too?” Kuzon asked.

“She hasn’t shown a spark yet.” And deep down Lee wished she never would. Both her parents weren’t benders. The chance was small that she would be a bender. From what Noren had told Lee years ago neither Noriko’s nor Noren’s parents had never formed a spark. With Kiyi’s strong willpower however, Lee didn’t doubt she’d form a flame herself anyways. She was stubborn enough for that. Lee just wasn’t ready for another prodigy sister yet.

“It’s such a nice forest there though.” Katara changed the subject as she looked at the woods surrounding the side of the village. The woods were close this side of the village, surrounding the field and closing it off from the rest of the island.

“It seems booming with spirit energy.” Kuzon noted.

“It is.” Lee said, though he didn’t know how Kuzon could know that. Most people would hear about the spirits from legends, legends that didn’t reach the colonies. “That is forgetful valley.”

“Forgetful valley?” Katara asked.

“They say a powerful spirit lives there. Parents teach their children not to go too close to it, as anyone who entered never showed their face in town again.” Lee explained. “You shouldn’t get to close to it.”

“Terrifying.” Katara muttered.

“Well, we’ve seen worse.” Sokka shrugged as he moved closer to the forest, taking out his sword and spinning it in his hand. He headed straight to the nearest tree he saw. “I doubt any spirit will show up here and if they did, we could fight them.”

Lee quickly sprinted after Sokka and grabbed his arm before he could get too close to the forest. “Better not to tempt her.” He said and pulled Sokka back to the group. The guy struggled in his grip, but couldn’t get free. “We’re here to firebend, not anger the spirits of this island.”

“I have to agree with Lee.” Kuzon said. “I’m not ready to deal with a spirit right now. So please don’t go out and beg to be kidnapped again.”

“That was one time.” Sokka huffed and sat down in the grass, defeated. It was surprising how easily the teen listened to a boy so much younger than him. But Lee decided that he wasn’t going to question whatever the teens had gone through. If they had angered a spirit before, it was better to stay ignorant.

At least Mushi stayed focused on the task at hand. He merely shook his head at Sokka’s antics and guided his students to sit down in the grass.

“Show me your fire.” He said when they were settled. Kuzon went first, He summoned a flame to his open palm. It was bigger than it had been during lunch, and seemed more colorful in the light on the afternoon sun. Lee took a deep breath and did the same thing, summoning a dull red flame,

With Mushi’s instructions, they meditated. They breathed and felt the sun’s position in the air, as well as the strength of the flame in their hands. With every second, the whispers of the nonbenders on the side died out, and it was just him and his flame. As easy as it was to forget the world, it was hard for Lee not to think about the flame hovering close above his hand. It almost died out a couple of times, before Mushi told him that the fire wouldn’t hurt him, but needed to be fed in order to stay controlled. He just needed to continue to breathe and focus. Lee let Mushi guide him, and it was almost as if Lee had never been burned at all.

“Have you ever had training in your bending before?” Mushi asked when the opened their eyes again.

“A long time ago,” Lee said as he looked at the fire in his hand, watching it change in size with every breath he took, “but I had to start all over again.”

“Your flame is pure.” Mushi said. “Most flames I’ve seen were fueled by anger and ambition. Yours doesn’t seek destruction however, it longs to protect and fuel.”

“How do you see all of this from one flame?” Lee frowned. “You aren’t a fire sage.”

Mushi smiled at him. “I’m but a simple old man. Once you’ve seen as much as I have, it’s easy to recognize a flame. And yours is very special.”

The flame in Lee’s hand disappeared. “You know nothing of my flame.”

Mushi sighed. “Perhaps not.” He said and stood up. “Now come, let’s see your forms.”


	9. Flightless Phoenix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow it's been almost a month... This chapter was an absolute struggle to get through, especially when it is so important and I couldn't get it right (of course other deadlines, work and lockdown also didn't help at all). So I decided that after 3 days of crunching on it, to go with the flow and leave it at this. We're finally moving forward to the climax!   
> also, I tried my best editing but any mistakes I might have missed will hopefully be fixed as soon as possible :')

Kuzon was not a good bender. Lee however was not one to judge on that. When Mushi asked for fire fist, at least Kuzon had been able to provide in one go with a weak but bright flame. Lee had taken a steadying breath, but no more than a few sparks came from his fist, no matter how many times he tried.

Mushi shook his head at the sight, like everyone always did. “There’s something blocking you from drawing out the flames. Let’s see your forms instead.” He said and studied Lee’s posture. “Think back to one of the forms you’ve learned before. Show that, don’t worry about the flames.”

Lee sighed and nodded. He thought back to his bending practice. His father had never been happy with any of the forms he’d shown him, his grandfather was even less enthusiastic when there was only his sister’s shadow to fill during each meeting. He had always been forced to immediately show flame in his movements. If he didn’t his father might throw him out. He couldn’t lose his late formed spark, even if it had never mattered that much in the end. If he’d never formed a spark to begin with, he’d never be in this position.

Lee thought and eventually settled on the last form he’d ever been taught. A form he hadn’t been able to show his father or grandfather. A form that was free of the worst memories. One by one he went through the steps. His right foot stepped back, breathe, his leg slid behind the other, another breath. The first steps were easy, especially if he didn’t need to produce flames with them. He shifted his weight, and was able to prepare for the jump that would follow. He landed it perfectly. He couldn’t remember ever landing it perfectly, but the last time he had tried there had been fire. As well as his tutor’s continuous remarks on his posture.

He was dragged out of his concentration by the sound of clapping. When he opened his eyes, he saw Sokka clapping on the sidelines as Katara nodded impressed. Kuzon gaped at him, but Mushi kept his feelings hidden from sight. Lee thought he could see a little bit of pride in his eyes. He didn’t dare to hope though.

“That was impressive.” Mushi said. “An almost perfect form on an early advanced set.”

“But without flames.” Lee sighed and stared at his hands.

“Indeed, but this shows you’ve been able of great things before. These techniques are not taught to everyone.” Mushi remarked. “For someone your age you’ve been trained quite well. Although you seem to overcompensate for your left.”

Lee raised a hand to his scarred eye, tracing the rough edges of the burn. “I’m blind and deaf on that side. I think it’s a normal reaction to have.”

“Of course. It is normal to protect such an injured side.” Mushi nodded. “It’s not something anyone can overcome. I’ve seen enough soldiers break down over it.”

Lee flinched at the mention of the soldiers. “I’ve gotten used to it by now.” He said instead. “And I’m not a soldier.” Not yet, he reminded himself, and if he were lucky he never would be.

Mushi left it at that, and Lee was glad he did. There was a better use to an afternoon than to think about the war. They continued to go through basic forms and simple exercises to get a better grasp at their fire. Like Kuzon had said, Mushi was a kind and understanding teacher. If Lee wasn’t able to summon a flame immediately, they’d sit down and breath along a flame Mushi had created himself.

Lee didn’t know why the others stayed around to watch as the hours passed by. They weren’t benders and Toph was blind on top of that. There was nothing to gain for them. Though if he had to go with any reason, he would take the final spar that Mushi suggested. Nothing too serious, just two beginning students who could practice their forms on each other.

Lee hadn’t used his bending in a spar for years and one day of training with Mushi did nothing on having the flames return to their previous strength. It wasn’t only now that he wasn’t strong enough, he was never good at it to begin with. But Lee knew how to adapt. Instead of training his flames, he used the spar to regain the familiarity with his forms, as well the defense against another bender’s flames.

When Kuzon took on a stronger stance and drew a brighter fire from within himself, Lee was convinced there was no victory for him. The initial dodging of the fire went fine, but at the final moment he felt himself slip in his landing. Kuzon’s flames roared above him when he hit the ground. There was an immense amount of power inside the fire, but as hot as it felt in the sky it didn’t hold a single piece of anger. It would never burn him.

Lee lay there, looking up at the late afternoon sky and the remnants of sparks that still filled the air. He staid there even when Kuzon started asking if he went too far with his final shot. He took those precious seconds to think, about his past and his future, about all the insecurities that latched onto him. Hira’a was a beautiful home for a future, Zuko decided as he stood up. He wanted to tell the kid he had a good form when the kid pointed at the grass patch Lee had laid in.

“You dropped something.” Kuzon said, and Lee let his eyes following the path that Kuzon’s extended finger pointed out for him. There in the grass, right in front of Mushi’s feet lay his knife. The amount of moving they had done during their last sets had dislodged it from the belt. Mushi crouched down and picked up the knife. The man’s face grew pale as he studied its black simplicity.

“Where did you get this?” The man said. The softness and understanding that had been in his voice all day was gone. There was only accusation now, a demand for answers. If Lee had forgotten about the man’s military presence, it came back faster than he could prepare for. Of course it would have been the knife that triggered it. An Earth Kingdom knife would trigger any soldier who spent time on those distant shores.

“It was given to me...“ Lee answered, unsure how to respond. He looked at the black knife in Mushi’s hands. He didn’t dare approach, but he couldn’t let him keep the knife either. “It was a family gift. From when we still lived in the colonies.”

He noticed how Toph had moved closer. She shook her head softly at the latter half of his statement. Mushi looked at the young girl, back to Lee and then the knife. He too shook his head.

“This knife is one-of-a-kind.” Mushi said, as he unsheathed it and looked at the finely engraved blade. “It was gifted to the Dragon of the West when the outer wall of Ba Sing Se fell. The general then sent the blade to his nephew in the Caldera.” The man looked up at Lee. “I am sure you know what happened to the general and the nephew next. Which leaves the following question,” Mushi said and covered the knife again, “what is a teenager in Hira’a doing with a dead prince’s dagger?”

“I told you it was a family gift.” Lee snapped, walked forward and grabbed the knife back out of Mushi’s hands. He didn’t care for the consequences in the moment. The dagger was too important and if Mushi wanted to accuse him of anything, he would be accused while holding his own knife.

“That I will believe.” Mushi said, folding his hands in his sleeves. “But it wasn’t from family in the colonies, was it? You never lived there.”

“What about you?” Lee almost yelled, looking at the kids who were watching them. “If you’re all such loyal colonials, you would be able to tell me what happened to Xin Lao.”

Mushi frowned. “Xin Lao burned down years ago after the army left Ba Sing Se as an act of Earth Kingdom rebellion.”

“Then why do your friends tell me they’ve lived there all their lives? No one survived that battle, and the Earth Kingdom wouldn’t spare any kids. Especially not Firenation.” Lee said, pointing at the rest of the group.

“You can blame Sokka for that, he just agreed with whatever Lee said.” Katara retorted with a huff. She glared at her brother.

“Yeah,” Sokka joined in, “how are we supposed to know about the colonies? Aang is the only one who went to school and he missed most of the war. And it’s not like we learned much about Firenation culture from that weird colony festival either.”

Sokka pointed at Kuzon the moment the new name was mentioned. _Aang_. Because of course they were lying about names as well. Lee looked at Kuzon in the midst of the screaming. The boy had noticed Sokka’s mistake as well and had gone two shades paler. Toph had started to punch Sokka and Katara was screaming by now. The only person who wasn’t a part of the fighting was Mushi, who focused on Lee instead of the younger teens.

“Who are you guys?” Lee said. “And no lies.”

“I think you already know, don’t you? The years may have changed us, but you really are still the same child.” Mushi looked at him, and spoke the next word with a breath of relief, “Zuko.”

He hadn’t been called by that name for almost six years, not since his mother forgot that the name belonged to anyone but a dead child who had been buried underneath the waves next to Caldera City. The name of Ursa had been lost on that same day, although the young child had cried out for a mother many times. Each night he found a stranger’s face looking at him with the same concern his mother’s face had always carried before.

He looked at Mushi and knew the man was right. It had been years and appearances had changed, but he realized it carried no excuse for his own naivety. The man was grayer than he had been when he left for the Earth Kingdom eight years ago. It was the years and the loss of family that were carved into each wrinkle decorating his face. Yet so many things were the same as they had always been. There was the love for tea, the keen eye on the origins of fire and the warm heart that had room for more than just one son. He had had the look of a soldier because he was the best general the country had ever known. He looked important because he had once carried the title of crown prince. He seemed familiar because they had spent long vacations on Ember Island together. He had missed the same woman as sister-in-law that Lee missed as a mother. No, he corrected himself, what use was there in hanging onto the name of Lee when his uncle was standing right in front of him.

In that moment that felt like ages but was no more than a few silent seconds, Lee fell apart. His uncle stood before him, warm and expectant. Yet each step that was taken towards the man didn’t have him as its final destination. The steps turned into running without looking back. With the sounds of yelling behind him, Zuko threw out a wall of fire on the grass and disappeared into the forest. No one but his uncle saw where he went in the chaos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for still being here after all that time <3  
> Next time might have a POV change for once~


	10. A Play of Miracle and Disaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's go! New chapter to celebrate the announcement of Avatar Studios. (I can't wait to spend even more money on this franchise in the future :') )  
> This time, it's time for a POV switch. Originally chapters 3-4 were supposed to be Iroh chapters, but I decided to scrap them. Luckily I could reuse a number of parts for this new chapter instead.

Iroh had learned that miracles came hand in hand with disaster. He already felt it when his mother, firelady Ilah, gave birth to a living son after years of miscarriages and stillborns (though no one would know about those, after all Sozin’s flame would burn brightly with life in all of his offspring). His younger brother’s flame was too strong to be tamed, and Iroh never found a connection with him. Iroh couldn’t count that as a disaster however. He was many years older and already out on the battlefield by the time Ozai learned how to crawl.

The first time where Iroh would later say he experienced that particular exchange of powers was when he held his newborn son in his arms. The young Lu Ten looked much like his mother, except for his strong golden eyes that shone brighter than any sun Iroh had ever seen. His flame was bright, and Iroh decided there that he would be the perfect heir to the throne. Firelord Azulon agreed with him when the baby was shown to him. The brightness of Iroh’s son came paired with the darkness that befell his wife. The same week, she died in their shared bed after later compilations from child birth. She left the crown prince with an empty heart, a single child, and countless responsibilities to his country and family.

The second time Iroh spoke of a miracle was when Zuko was born. The child had been born a year after the wedding with avatar Roku’s bloodline. To most of the royal family, Ursa was no more than a connection to a powerful lineage. Iroh felt like he was the only one who tried to understand the young woman who had lost everything to her marriage. If Ozai wanted to learn anything about her, it was to use it against her.

Zuko would share the same brightness as his mother, but it had taken weeks before the news about the young prince’s birth to reach Iroh’s camp. When he came to the palace a year later, it was accompanied with the displeased voice of Ozai. The man didn’t carry a single love for his son, his hope already fixated onto the second child waiting in Ursa’s womb. Later, Iroh would hear the stories about how Ozai had stood on top of the palace wall with a newborn Zuko in his arms, ready to drop the child to its death. Only the begging of his wife and the fire sages had stopped him. In return, Zuko would never be good enough, especially when his sister Azula burned her first curtains down before turning two years old. Iroh made the silent promise to Ursa to protect Zuko for as long as he was in the palace. Eight years later, Iroh and Lu Ten set out to Ba Sing Se.

Ba Sing Se was the third miracle Iroh ever witnessed. The walls were high and unbroken. Iroh would change that when after more than a year of battle, the first part of the outer wall crumbled. Before he could also destroy the inner walls, Lu Ten’s division was driven into an ambush. Lu Ten and his soldiers are trapped under a rock avalanche. A young earthbender returned the prince to the base, along with a message. The Earth Kingdom would not hesitate to kill the entire Firenation if it were to protect its city. Iroh didn’t need the message. The moment his eyes met his son’s broken body his spirit broke. His love for his nation’s conquering was lost. The earthbender was allowed to return to his commander. Iroh’s forces retreated the next day.

He received a letter almost a week later when he was back in a colony where he’d cremated and buried Lu Ten. The letter informed him of the death of his nephew and sister-in-law. They did not know what killed the young prince, but the assumption was that of an assassin who stabbed and burned him in his sleep. His mother killed herself in grief. Iroh didn’t respond to the letter, he didn’t know how to.

Soon after, another messenger hawk found him on his journey with the message that his father has passed away as well. The crown moved to the second prince, as per Azulon’s dying wish. No bone in Iroh’s body wished to come back to the capital and rule. The miracles had shown him to be a humble man, that for every happiness he felt, something would come back to hurt him instead. So Iroh traveled, across the Earth Kingdom and into the spirit world. A part of him hoped to find the spirit of his son, nephew or sister-in-law there, but he never found them. There was one spirit, surrounded by a hundred faces in her wake who had ever heard of the name of Ursa. Before Iroh could ask more, a blue wolf darted past and the spirit left with it. He didn’t find her again in his travels, nor did he ever learn her name.

In the end, Iroh did return home. The palace felt empty, and each servant had a look of fear in their eyes as they walked the place. Iroh spent three years in his brother’s court before he left for the Earth Kingdom again. The air that hung around Ozai and princess Azula was toxic. Iroh left his small crew behind in the colony where Lu Ten rested. He found his contacts with the White Lotus and set out for a new identity and new life.

He had almost forgotten about the disasters when he moves to Ba Sing Se as a refuge. It was the humble life he’s waited for, in a city where the Firenation wasn’t spoken about people by to make the best of life.

Life was kind as Mushi. Mushi was an example to every person living in the city’s lower ring. A man who had nothing but the apron of tea serving job, who in one day moved to the upper ring with a business of his own. Even the biggest hater of tea would grab such a chance with both hands. Luckily, Mushi loved tea. It was all his life was about. That part he could never fake in his life.

The Jasmine Dragon grew into something Pao’s teashop could only aspire to be. A big, fancy building with green banners and carpets, and a number of large tables at the side. The entire square surrounding it smelled of tea on a busy day, a mix of flavors never to scare away new customers.

Iroh could do whatever he wanted with the building, and so he placed a pai sho board in the corner of the room, close to the counter. He placed a second one outside, for those who wished to play the game without the need of buying a cup of tea, as well for Iroh to use whenever the shop was closed. He was a fervent player, with an unparalleled winning streak. His friends at the White Lotus would also be able to find him with the game, though not many wanted to stay too long in the city. Pai sho was an old man’s game, but of great importance. Iroh played pai sho and made tea, and when the right people came along, he’d give valuable advice. Though it that would never be in the open, the rooftops were always watching after all. Living here now, Iroh did not know what he had aspired to gain in conquering the place, why he had ever been so desperate to be here. It was worse than the Caldera sometimes.

Of all people Iroh had had the honor of sharing his Pai Sho table with, the avatar was on the top of the list. The boy had found Iroh before his shop, as the man was closing up shop for the day.

“It is not every day the Avatar enters my teashop” Iroh had smiled and offered the child a seat.

“A friend in the Si Wong Desert told me you could help us.” The avatar had said. “He mentioned your tea was the best of the city.”

“I assume it is not tea you are looking for however.”

The boy had shaken his head.

“That is fine,” Iroh had smiled, “for now, let us play while I’m still on break. The guest makes the first move.”

The avatar used techniques Iroh hadn’t seen in a long time, old strategies of a different culture. The game takes longer than expected, but the victory is a sweet one.

The avatar had left after the game, only to return to the shop a day later with his friends and then returned many times more to share their stories over a cup of jasmine. The young air nomad told the stories of how he had lost his bison and found it again through a friend who had been brainwashed by the Dai Li. The techniques didn’t surprise Iroh anymore. He had seen it before, and even if he was one of the strongest firebenders alive, he wasn’t stupid enough to take on massive groups of elite earthbenders.

The teenagers told him how they had brought the war to the Earth King. How they had taken the man outside the walls and showed him the Firenation drill on the edge of the wall. That news had been surprising. No one from the Firenation would be stupid enough to attack the city again after the failure of the seize. Though Iroh could think of one person stubborn enough to do so. Maybe two, if his nephew had still been alive.

A day later, when the Jasmine Dragon closed for the first time in the year it had existed, Iroh learned not to trust the miracles handed to him anymore. He should have known his dreams died along with his son, nephew and father. It wasn’t the Earth King who had asked for tea. Instead, it was the King’s elite guard and a young teenage girl who entered the tea room.

“Who would have thought,” the girl smiled with a grin so close to her father’s, “that the beloved dragon of the west would take refuge in his biggest shame.” She shook her head. “I expected better from you, uncle.”

Iroh expected better of himself as well. Perhaps it was because of that that he decided to fight her. His bending was a bit rusty, her newest techniques still unknown to him, but he got out like he always did. The palace walls were no match to the lightning that erupted from his fingers.

That same day, the city fell to the hands of his fourteen year old, overambitious niece. In the wake of her destruction she also ended the avatar spirit, because Azula was always one to find the most efficient way to get everything she wanted.

Iroh left the city on the back of a sky bison, watching the water tribe girl, Katara, as she healed the lightning wound on the avatar’s back. When the child started breathing again, and it was certain he’d pull through, it was time for explanations.

Azula had called Iroh out by both name and title during the battle. It was something that hadn’t gone unnoticed. Sokka, the oldest teen of the group, glared at Iroh the entire way, and when they landed at the watertribe camp he passed his suspicion on to the rest of his family.

It was impossible to run from the war, and Iroh knew he carried many remnants of it on his back. He hadn’t been the one to raid the Southern Watertribe, but most of it had happened in the name of his father. And in extension, it had happened in Iroh’s name as crown prince. The warriors didn’t trust him when he stepped off the bison, neither did the teenagers who had been drinking tea whith him only a day prior. But Iroh could stay while he was bound and provided intel. It was slightly outdated intel as he hadn’t been in his nation for a while, but it still allowed them to capture a ship and give the avatar a safe place to recover.

It was the avatar who made the final call when he asked Iroh to be his firebending master. The group had come to the conclusion that it helped to have someone at their side to take over after Ozai had been defeated. Better to have Iroh on the throne than a crazy crown princess.

Someone from the Firenation came in handy when they would travel across the nation, and Iroh had been unknown enough by the common folk to pass for a simple old man from the colonies. Though even Iroh had hoped for some better clothes for the avatar to wear than a school uniform. It brought more trouble than it was worth and Iroh was no fun of the public school system his brother had created.

Iroh preferred the moments where they were away from the towns, and where training could be done without hurting anyone. Training the avatar started by meeting the dragons. It had been a moment Iroh had hoped to share with Lu Ten or Zuko. At least Aang was appreciated the art of bending much more after their meeting. His weak flames were pure now, no longer held back by fear.

Iroh guessed it was a coincidence that the town closest to the sun warriors’ temples was Hira’a. Iroh had never seen the town himself, but he had heard talks about it within the palace walls. Princess Ursa, despite how her husband had forbidden her to talk, liked to reminisce about the place she had left behind. Iroh understood why Roku’s family would decide to stay here. It was far away from the royal family, and surrounded by some of the most beautiful nature the country had to offer.

Iroh had entered the town on his own. Many things reminded him of the things Ursa had loved. There was a food stand with fresh noodles, a market providing the fresh harvests from the fields and prominently in the center of town stood a wooden stage. Ursa had always missed her days as an actress the most. She was one of the few people Iroh knew who even appreciated the plays held on Ember Island.

When he stood at one of the market stalls, browsing the selection of tea leaves, a young man started some small talk with the stall owner. His voice was hoarse, and when Iroh looked at the side, he could immediately guess that the low voice had probably come form the same source as what had formed the large scar covering the teenager’s face.

After a second look, Iroh realized it wasn’t the scar that caught his attention. The boy’s facial structure looked much like Ozai’s. When Iroh, along with the Aang and his friends, watched the play of the Love among the Dragons, he saw the boy walk up to his family after the show. He looked so much like Zuko would have. Though as he talked to Noren, Iroh decided coincidences never happened. Perhaps this time, a miracle would come on its own.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated <3  
> Hope to see you at the next update (though no idea when that could be)


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